Highs and Lows 2014

Sid wrote:

To be honest, not many male celebs manage to 'rise to the occasion' with a Rhumba. I don't think it's a very good test of whether they can show a more gentle, romantic side to them because the whole thing is so awkward to dance and to watch. Something like a Waltz is different though. Steve did a beautifully tender Waltz - so unlike any of his other dances. Jake doesn't necessarily have to do schmaltz, we could have had a suave Smooth - instead we got another dark, intense, brooding performance. Bored!

Hehe, you got the 'drift'!

Actually, despite not liking Matt Baker very much (because of his pairing with Aliona), and the other Matt (Di Angelo) and even Gethin did an okay rumba. Chris Hollins, another meh celeb who really couldn't dance that well (even the charleston turned my tummy for being really average, more so than even Mark Wright's attempt), did a good rumba. Last year beefcake (cum wife cheater) Ben also did an okay rumba. Jake didn't seem to know what to do with his facial expression when he danced anything other than 'cool' and 'moody'. He appeared to be over-thinking his rumba, which made the whole experience of watching it really awkward. It's like when men are anxious to perform well they simply can't reach the peak, y'know?

Stop it!

Sid wrote:Stop it!

Sorry Sid. I just had made a difficult decision to have my pet put to sleep, I am actually trying to cheer myself up a little...

cellar-door wrote:

Sorry Sid. I just had made a difficult decision to have my pet put to sleep, I am actually trying to cheer myself up a little...

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear that CD, what a heartbreaking decision to have to make

Sending hugs.

Sid wrote:

Oh no I'm so sorry to hear that CD, what a heartbreaking decision to have to make

Sending hugs.

*sniff*

cellar-door wrote:

Sorry Sid. I just had made a difficult decision to have my pet put to sleep, I am actually trying to cheer myself up a little...

Been there. Can't offer anything that'll help, but keep your chin up as best you can.

Had to make that heart wrenching decison three years ago for my beautiful Labrador still upsets me now.Sending hugs CD.
Btw who was the mmm wife beater?

saxonsiren wrote:Had to make that heart wrenching decison three years ago for my beautiful Labrador still upsets me now.Sending hugs CD.Btw who was the mmm wife beater?

Thanks, TangoL and SSiren! Ben Cohen separated from his wife after Strictly. I don't think he's a wife beater, seeing he's spokesperson of an anti-bullying charity. He cheated on his wife, thus I said the wife cheater.

Better go to specsavers! Note to myself. Think curse of childhood sweethearts hit Ben and wife thou i thought the papers hinted at an affair re SCD?
Thinking back on saturdays Blackpool show I also felt not as wowed as previous years is it because of the dynamics of the couples this year? Or does SCD need a rest smack me with a wet kipper for saying that thought out loud!

So sorry to hear your sad news CD. I had to make that call last year for my old dog. A scar on the heart for sure.

Sorry to hear your news CD -

I hope you are feeling ok - your posts are always so entertaining and cheer me  up a lot so I hope in due course that you do  feel a bit 'cheered up' yourself.   Dance is so therapeutic whether you are doing it or watching it so hopefully SCD and forum will help you to take your mind off things if only for a little while.

Sending all my thoughts to you.

Now.......at the risk of sounding very facetious I have had a little giggle at the 'wife beater'/'wife cheater' exchange! sorry

Not that I would giggle at such things in themselves - of course - just reminded me somehow of the 'Fork Handles' sketch

Thanks B4p and MA09! I will miss my Amber very much, to see her last gasp after the injection was painful, but I wanted to be with her till her last breath.

With regards to Wife beater, I am going off tangent here. Why do we call those at the Tower Beefeater? Anyone any idea? I came to this country more than 15 years ago, and though I am now a naturalised citizen, I still have a lot to learn of this great country!

The Yeoman were often paid some of their wages with chunks of beef and this went on until the late 1800's also the Yeoman were allowed to eat big portions of beef daily from the kings table hence name Beefeators

saxonsiren wrote:The Yeoman were often paid some of their wages with chunks of beef and this went on until the late 1800's also the Yeoman were allowed to eat big portions of beef daily from the kings table hence name Beefeators

Aw, thank you!

Sending you hugs CD sorry to hear your news. One of my Doggles is on borrowed time after being diagnosed with a heart problem last month totally out of the blue- I thought I had lost him when he was taken up to the animal hospital tbh, but he's back with us so I count every day as a bonus. He won't make old bones ( he's not 7 yet bless him) but I'm grateful for whatever time we have left and I know that the day will come not too far off when we too will have to make that painful decision.

Anyway back to the dancing and all the double entendres! I have to admit a little smile too! I've only just got in from work so I'm a bit late to the party- do we know some dances for Saturday yet?

allsewnonbyhand wrote:Sending you hugs CD sorry to hear your news. One of my Doggles is on borrowed time after being diagnosed with a heart problem last month totally out of the blue- I thought I had lost him when he was taken up to the animal hospital tbh, but he's back with us so I count every day as a bonus. He won't make old bones ( he's not 7 yet bless him) but I'm grateful for whatever time we have left and I know that the day will come not too far off when we too will have to make that painful decision.

Anyway back to the dancing and all the double entendres! I have to admit a little smile too! I've only just got in from work so I'm a bit late to the party- do we know some dances for Saturday  yet?

Thanks, asobh! As for the dances, I think Pixie said she's doing Charleston on Saturday. Jake is doing Samba, Sunetra is doing Waltz, Mark seemed to suggest in results show he's doing Tango? I don't know about the rest!

Thanks for the update CD! Sunetra might sneak another week with having ballroom if she doesn't mess up...

Sorry to hear your news CD, it's always a wrench isn't it, however many times we go through it, and then we set ourselves up for more pain by getting another pet and falling in love all over again. Oh well, I can't imagine a home without my two dogs and two cats (used to be three of each so I feel myself getting broody again). Hope you have some lovely happy memories to hold on to.

Dance wise, I'm loving Frankie, have warmed to Pixie purely through her dancing, have a soft spot for Sunetra and am completely indifferent to Caroline.

For the boys, Simon has grown on me considerably, Jake is beginning to bore me, Mark is playing a good part (not sure it's him though) and Steve is a trier but has reached his peak.

If it had to be an equal boy/girl final I would say Frankie/Pixie/Simon/Jake are the most worthy.

fiftynotout wrote:Sorry to hear your news CD, it's always a wrench isn't it, however many times we go through it, and then we set ourselves up for more pain by getting another pet and falling in love all over again.  Oh well, I can't imagine a home without my two dogs and two cats (used to be three of each so I feel myself getting broody again).  Hope you have some lovely happy memories to hold on to.

Dance wise, I'm loving Frankie, have warmed to Pixie purely through her dancing, have a soft spot for Sunetra and am completely indifferent to  Caroline.

For the boys, Simon has grown on me considerably, Jake is beginning to bore me, Mark is playing a good part (not sure it's him though) and Steve is a trier but has reached his peak.

If it had to be an equal boy/girl final I would say Frankie/Pixie/Simon/Jake are the most worthy.

Thanks for your kind words, fno. I have a soft spot for Sunetra too, but I don't think she's very popular and will almost certainly be in the bottom two this week. The only way she'll be saved is if Steve is there too and the fact that she's doing a Waltz she might be saved for yet another week, but only if Steve's doing a latin and there as well in the bottom two...

Jake doing Samba doesn't fill me with joy. Sure hope he realises what a Samba face is and doesn't appear with his East end Mafia scowl. Worried.

TANGOLERO wrote:Jake doing Samba doesn't fill me with joy. Sure hope he realises what a Samba face is and doesn't appear with his East end Mafia scowl. Worried.

The training clip doesn't fill me with hope either. There might even be an illegal lift in there. Janette sneaked a cheeky lift in their QS, and I think with the Samba she's up to no good again. This shows that Jake really isn't THAT great technically and she has to resort to tricks like this. It might work for Judy because she's rubbish, but for someone with such potential like Jake, this could be a disaster. But it might be her tactic to get the public behind Jake to vote him through after the judges harshly rebuke them for adding lifts and marked them down...

TANGOLERO wrote:Jake doing Samba doesn't fill me with joy. Sure hope he realises what a Samba face is and doesn't appear with his East end Mafia scowl. Worried.

Quite!

I was expecting an anti-climax after Blackpool, but overal, an enjoyable show.

Highs
Claude's return
Sunetra's coffee coloured dress and Brendan's matching shirt & tie. Both looked classy and top notch.
Simon's Salsa
Jake's Samba
More varied use of judging paddles

Lows
Pixies Charleston
Camera work - especially on Frankie's dance
Steve struggling
T ess and her verbal diarrhoea
A bit too much whooping and hollering in the Clauditorium

B4p wrote:
A bit too much whooping and hollering in the Clauditorium

Highs

- Claudia's back, but sounding like she may have a cold (or was she just a little chocked because of the 'love fest' they were showing to her?)...

- Generally standards are still kept high, dancing wise, pleasant surprises include Simon and Pixie.

- Dancers joshing around at the Clauditorium.


Lows

- Jake's Samba, I watched it again because it seems it's quite popular here in this forum, but I noticed it even more now it's as if he's doing a caricature of a Samba, like mocking the dance with all the OTT gyrations and badly-executed 'Samba' moves with NO double bounce...

- Steve looking so out of his depths, and him saying he's running out of steam, poor guy...

- Silly tens flying around after Blackpool, especially shocked when L.en said Jake's Samba lacked proper techniques but still a ten?!